president could come into office facing 23 million people out of work, rising unemployment, and spend his energy and passion for two years fighting for obama care instead of fighting for jobs for the american people. >> we did work on this alongside working on jobs because this is part of making sure that middle class families are secure in this country. >> reporter: a substantial debate. no zingers. i'm steve handelsman, nbc news, denver. >>> all right. so how did the candidates do? well, post debate instant polls reveal that most voters believe mitt romney did better than president obama. a cnn orc poll shows that 67% of registered voters who watched the debate chose mr. romney as the winner while 25% chose mr. obama. a cbs snap poll showed that 45% identified mitt romney while 22% said barack obama won and 32% called it a tie. the candidates tangled over taxes and figures of cuts or increases. andrea mitchell looked into the truth behind the rhetoric of both candidates. >> let me repeat what i said. i'm not in favor of a $5 trillion tax cut. that's not my plan. my plan is not to put in place